THE LAST TIME Lily had come across the peculiar Room of Requirement, it had turned into the birthplace of disaster. She had discovered the darker side of herself, the side of herself that only proved how similar to Lord Voldemort she was. She had hoped to never see that damned room and the wardrobe that was once within it ever again.
At least when she did, it was not the same.
It was Neville Longbottom who had found it on his own, for the magic that had created the room sensed his desire for a location to practice the Dark Arts. When the boy had discovered the room, he immediately ran for Lily and the others had followed. And there they all stood in a vast room lit by torches on the walls and a fire crackling in the grand fireplace to the very back of the room, casting moving shadows on the stone floor. Suits of armor and imitative dummies were posted spontaneously about the room, ready to be of use in a practice duel or disarmament.
"You've done it, Neville." Lily grinned, giving his shoulder a squeeze as he smiled pridefully. "You found the Room of Requirement."
"The what?" queried Ron.
"It's also known as the Come and Go Room. The Room of Requirement only appears when a person has real need of it." Hermione did not dare mention that they had unknowingly been in it before, however different. Lily was grateful. "And it's always equipped for the seeker's needs."
"So say you really needed the toilet..."
Fred and George chuckled behind Hermione, who rolled her eyes, "Charming, Ronald. But, yes, that is the general idea."
"It's brilliant." grinned Harry, "It's like Hogwarts wants us to fight back."
"Now all we need is to find good meeting times." said Fred.
George nodded, "Now that Umbridge has all of these rules, it'll be impossible to meet unnoticed."
"Nothing is impossible." Lily shook her head and smirked, turning towards them, "You let me deal with Umbridge."
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It was not long before Dumbledore's Army began their first session together in the Room of Requirements. It had been a gloomy day, for the sky was filled with thick rain clouds that refused to break. In spite of their prior reluctance, Harry and Lily found themselves in their own element and their friends took notice to it. In their first class, Lily taught half of them to work a Disarming charm while Harry taught the rest to Stun. It went magnificently and they even taught a few spells that Fred and George, in their seventh year, did not know.
When their first session had ended, Harry was waving everyone off as Lily walked up to Neville, who stood by the fireplace, staring at the flames. He had a faraway look in his eyes, a look Lily knew all too well.
"What's wrong, Neville?"
He snapped out of his trance and looked at her, "Oh, I'm fine."
"When I feel lost or alone, I find myself looking into flames and getting lost in them. It's odd, I know, but it grounds me." She confided, "I know that look in your eyes, Neville. I've felt it before. So I will ask again...it's alright if you don't wish to talk about it, but know that I'm here."
He frowned, "You're a good friend to me, Lily. You always have been."
"Despite my madness." she chuckled.
He managed a wry chuckle, "Yes." After a moment's pause, "I can't help but think I'm disappointing my parents' memory, you know?...I can't ever do anything right. I might as well be a Squib."
"Don't say that."
"It's true. I'm an idiotic coward." He looked at her and was surpass to see she had become angry. No one was in the room, anymore.
"Take out your wand, Neville." She backed away and drew her own wand from her back pocket. "Take it out."
Confusedly, Neville produced his wand from his pant pocket and held it uneasily, watching her back away. When she was a good distance away, she spoke again, her green eyes seemingly ablaze.
"Raise your wand in a defensive position."
He did as she instructed, but as soon as he had, she began casting silent spells as him, over and over, faster and faster. The first one he Neville in the stomach, but he quickly composed himself and began to block her hexes and spells; one, two, thre, four...he had blocked several and was still going.
"You're not a coward, Neville Longbottom." She said in between spells, "I've only ever known one coward in my life and you are not him. You will never be anything like him."
"How do you know that?" He blocked another spell and leapt out of the way as another came his way. She was not slowing down.
"I knew it from the moment I first met you. It's the one who stands out that ends up being one of the good ones."
"My grandmother thinks otherwise." he lowered his guard and was hit by another one of her spells. He doubled over and she let him take a breather. She approached him and sat down on the floor. Taking that as a signal for a break, he sat down across from her and sighed.
"You and I need to stop listening to what others say we have to be. It's quite tiring to live up to standards that can't fit our eccentricity."
"We should make our own standards, then."
"You mean like rules?" she asked. He nodded and slowly, her head began to the nod and a grin bloomed onto her face, "I like that."
They sat there in silence for a moment, the crackling flames in the fireplace being the only source of noise within the grand room. Lily rose to her feet and Neville followed, ready for another round. But what she said next caught his off guard entirely.
"Attack me."
"W-What!?"
"Now!" In the spur of the moment, Neville casted a Stunning charm just like Harry had taught them and Lily deflected it. Again and again he casted it, becoming comfortable with his wand. Then he casted an explosive charm, a bewitching charm, a Disarming spell --and although Lily deflected every single one, he had exceeded his own expectations.
"Again!"
Back and forth, they casted and conjured offensive and defensive charms in the nick of time, hiding behind the suits of armor and ducking and rolling. All the while, they laughed and shrieked when they each came close to hitting each other with spells. When they had finally run out of breath, they stopped and Lily brush her red hair from her face, revealing a grin.
He couldn't help but grin back.
"You're ready." She said, holding her hand out, "Give me your arm."
And with much confusion, the Longbottom boy followed her words and held his right arm out to her. Her touch was warm on the skin of his forearm, unusually warm, as if by her mere touch, she had sent an electrical current through his veins. Maybe she was, because as he had thought that, a silvery line began to fade in on his arm, taking an odd form. With lines thick and thin, Neville soon recognized the shape to be that of a single feather, it's length being around eight inches. His dark eyes examined it confusedly and on instinct, he balled his fist and the lines disappeared as soon as they had come.
"What was that?" he asked her.
Lily gave him a small smile as she watched it fade away. Again, at her touch, it returned. "A form of protection."
He looked at her in bewilderment.
"Rule number one," she chuckled, "Exceed expectations."
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With the holidays soon approaching and Professor Umbridge's impending rules against after-school organizations, Dumbledore's Army would be having their final session until after the holiday season. They had decided to conduct it based on everything Harry and Lily had taught them thus far, including Disarming spells, Patronus charms and Lily's favorite: Stunning Charms. In fact, the day started with Hermione and Ron lining up to duel.
"Don't worry." Ron said confidently as he walked past, "I'll go easy on you."
A smile was plastered on Hermione's face and Lily knew Ron was in for a rude awakening, "Thanks, Ronald."
"Come on, Ron." encouraged Nigel and a few others.
"You can do it."
Hermione and Ron raised their wands in the appropriate form and on Harry's count of three, they began. There was a short pause, all until Hermione flicked her wand and changed, "Stupefy!"
With a quick flash of light, Ron was blasted off of his feet and flew backwards, falling onto the floor with a groan. A few feet away, Harry, Lily and the rest of the Weasleys were laughing like seals.
"Shut up. I let her do that." he grumbled, watching the other girls giggle around Hermione, "It's good manners, isn't it?"
"Okay, Ron." laughed George.
"Whatever you say, Ron." chuckled Fred. Ginny helped her older brother up, stifling her laughter.
"Expelliarmus!" chanted Neville. Everyone turned around to see Padma Patil's wand clatter to the floor a few feet away from her. Neville had successfully disarmed her, and while many others congratulated him, Lily knew he could already do so much more.
"Fantastic, Neville!" Harry grinned, "Well done, man."
Neville looked at Lily thankfully and gave she him a wink.
A little while later, everyone had gathered around Harry and Lily to hear their final words before the session was finished. They stood before the crackling fire, grins on their faces.
"So that's it for this lesson." Harry said "Now, we' re not gonna be meeting again until after the holidays."
"Just keep practicing on your own as best you can." added Lily, "And well done, everyone. Great, great work."
Everyone clapped and cheered for each other, giving thanks to the Potter twins, of whom had made their school year all the more interesting.
"Well done, mates." Ron nodded.
"Thanks." They said.
"See you after Christmas." said the Patil twins as they left.
"See you in the Common Room, Harry, Lily." Ginny bid them farewell.
"Have a good Christmas." Luna smiled at them.
"Have a great Christmas, Luna." Harry smiled back.
"We'll send letters." Lily also smiled and the Lovegood girl left. Fred and George approached Lily.
"We've been thinking." began Fred, "We could always slip Umbridge some Puking Pastilles."
"Or Fever Fudge." nodded George.
"Let's do it." Lily grinned. She glanced behind her to see Harry walking towards Cho Chang, "And let's give the two lovebirds some privacy."
And the Weasley Three exited the Room of Requirement, leaving Harry and Cho alone. But it was no matter, for as soon as they reached the East Wing, they set off for Umbridge's office, their pockets full of pranking products.
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After Lily had returned with the twins from rigging Professor Umbridge's office with every product imaginable, she joined Hermione and Ron in the warmth of the common room, waiting for Harry. They sat on the couch, facing each other as the flames animated shadows around them.
"I'm going to show you both something, but you mustn't tell Harry until the time is right, okay?" she spoke in a low voice. They glanced at each other curiously.
"What is it?" queried Ron.
"Give me your arms." With confusion which like August's and Neville's before them, they held their arms out to her and she took them into her hands. Just as before, silver lines faded on into the skin of their forearm and took the graceful shape of a feather.
"What is that?" questioned Ron, rubbing his fingers over it.
"It's like the Dark Mark, isn't it?"
"Sort of." Lily nodded, "But for one thing, it's good. It will serve to protect you."
"Why can't Harry know about it?" Hermione asked as it faded away.
"He'll tell Sirius and Sirius will tell the Order. This isn't an operation for them, it's for me and for you guys." she replies, "Promise you'll keep it a secret until the time is right."
"I promise." said Ron.
"I promise." said Hermione.
"Good."
As soon as she said they and they rolled down their sleeves, Harry entered the common room with a sheepish grin on his face and walked over to them.
"Well, how was it?" Lily asked as soon as he sat down on the carpet in front of them.
"Wet." he replies, "I mean, she was sort of crying."
"That bad at it, are you?" remarked Ron. Lily laughed.
"I'm sure Harry's kissing was more than satisfactory." Hermione said, causing Lily to laugh even more and Ron to make a sour face, "Cho spends half her time crying these days."
"You'd think a bit of snogging would cheer her up." mumbled Ron.
"Don't you understand how she must be feeling? Well, obviously she's feeling sad about Cedric... and confused about liking Harry and guilty about kissing him... conflicted because Umbridge might sack her mum from the Ministry..." Hermione went on, "And frightened of failing her OWLs because she's worrying about everything."
Ron shook his head disbelievingly, "One person couldn't feel all that. They'd explode."
Hermione scoffed, "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all do."
The four best friends all looked at each other for a moment and bursted out into fits of laughter. It may as well have been the happiest they had ever been that school year, for their troubles would soon hit them like waves crash against a rock.
It wouldn't end well.
And it would all truly begin that very same night, when Harry and Lily Potter were sleeping restlessly in their individual beds. They tossed and turned over, which wasn't unusual for them, but this this was different. This time....
It was worse.
In the nightmare, each of the Potter twins looked on involuntarily down at the scene, as if walking through it. They found themselves in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, where red-headed figure paced back and forth in the near distance. The floors gleamed like molten black obsidian and shelves that stood many stories high towered over the scene, holding glass balls of clairvoyance; crystal balls.
As they neared, the eerie silence was broken by the menacing hisses of what sound like a snake ready to strike. The figure in the distance was soon revealed to them to be a older, stalky red-haired man with patched robes. As he turned around obliviously, his face was shown.
It was Arthur Weasley.
He poised his wand defensively, ready for an attack as he knew something or someone was coming, but as he fully faced them, he let out a shout as he was attacked. Their vision began to waver as blood began to bleed through his clothes but the attacker didn't cease while the man was down, kicking and shouting, casting curses every which way he could.
It kept lunging.
Arthur Weasley was down on the floor now, his face cut and his arms and middle beginning to soak with dark blood as he suffered more lunges. Harry and Lily, though sharing the same nightmare, did not see each other nor themselves. It was as if....they were the attacker. But no, it seemed too real. Arthur Weasley let out pained cries and pleas for help for anyone that could hear. He would soon be dead if no one came and their was nothing they could do about it.
Harry and Lily Potter woke up screaming.
They next thing the Potter twins knew, they were being guided in a rushed pace down the dark corridors of the castle in a cold sweat. Ron and Professor McGonagall, who was in her night clothes, guided Harry with concerned expressions. In sync beside them were Fred and George with Lily, followed by Ginny. They scrambled up to Dumbledore's office, where he awaited them anxiously. Upon seeing them, he beckoned them in and shut the doors so no one could listen in.
Harry and Lily relayed the dream to Dumbledore's in unnervingly vivid details; they had definitely seen the same thing.
"In the dream, were you standing next to the victim... or looking down at the scene?" questions Dumbledore.
"He's not some random victim!" hissed Lily with a frightened look in her eyes, "It was Mr. Weasley!"
"Neither." Harry shook his head, "It was like I..."
"Will you please just tell us what's happening?" exclaimed Lily, grabbing her hair.
Without replying, Dumbledore's turned toward one of his paintings and acknowledged a man within it, "Everard, Arthur's on guard duty tonight. Make sure he's found by the right people."
He approached another portrait, "Sir. Phineas. You must go to your portrait at Grimmauld Place. Tell them that Arthur Weasley is gravely injured... and his children will be arriving there soon by Portkey."
After a moment of tense silence, Lily mustered up the courage to look at Fred. He was confused, it was clear, but he became even more bewildered upon seeing the evident guilt in her green eyes.
"They've got him, Albus." said the man from the first painting, Everard, "It was close, but they think he'll make it. What's more, the Dark Lord failed to acquire it.l
"Oh, thank goodness." Dumbledore's heaved a sigh of relief, "Next we need to--"
"--LOOK AT ME!" Harry shouted. Dumbledore's head snapped toward him, astonished by his outburst. His voice was then filled with despair. "What's happening to us?"
"You wished to see me, headmaster?" spoke the familiar drawling voice of Severus Snape. Everyone turned to look at him, but his eyes were transfixed on Harry and Lily.
"Oh, Severus." there was a sort of desperateness in his voice, "I'm afraid we can't wait. Not even till the morning. Otherwise, we'll all be vulnerable."
Professor Snape grabbed Harry's arm and moved to gather Lily as well, but she reared away and ran to Fred, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I'm so sorry."
"For what, Lily? You didn't do anything." he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Tell Mrs. Weasley I'm sorry. I hope your dad is alright. Please, send me an owl when you know anything." she sniffed.
He pulled away and put his hands on either side of her face, wiping her tears away with his thumbs, "Don't worry. I'll see you soon. You two spending Christmas with us, after all."
George nodded, his voice cracking, "I'm sure Dad will be just fine."
She wiped her eyes and followed Harry and Snape out of Dumbledore's office. Snape ushered them through the corridors and down multiple flights of stairs, all towards the deepest parts of the school dungeons. He brought them down to lowest dungeon, where the room was set up like that of a potions chamber, except even more spacious. Snape pulled up a chair for Harry and he sat down.
"It appears there's a connection... between the Dark Lord's mind and both of your own. Whether he is, as yet, aware of the connection with you, Mr. Potter, for the moment, unclear. Pray he remains ignorant." said Snape.
"What about Lily?!" questioned Harry, looking at his sister who was beginning to compose herself.
She let out a curt laugh, "I have been long since compromised."
Harry looked at Snape, "If he knows about it, then... he'll be able to read our minds? My mind?"
Snape nodded, "Read it, control it... unhinge it."
Lily sat down a little ways away and held her head in her hands, her fingers running through her flaming hair.
"Legillimens is the only way, Lily." said Snape. Harry noticed has accustomed his sister and the man were to each other. Harry had never seen this side of Snape before.
"You are not going into my head."
"Would you rather the Dark Lord?!"
"Voldemort doesn't flinch at the thoughts that run through my mind, Professor." Lily looked at him, her eyes ablaze, "If you sifted through my thoughts, you'd look at me differently. Everyone would."
"I will not let the Dark Lord turn you mad!" He was shouting now.
"Whatever comes will come. But I'd rather die knowing that those who matter most thought fondly of me. That they wouldn't look at me and think I was becoming just like him." she spat, "So no, Professor, I will not partake in these lessons."
A vein popped out in Snape's forehead and he turned away in fury, but it wasn't a fury that Harry had seen before. It was a desperate sort of fury.
"In the past, it was often the Dark Lord's pleasure... to invade the minds of his victims... creating visions designed to torture them into madness." Snape spoke, spitting his words, "Only after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony... only when he had them literally begging for death, would he finally... kill them."
Harry looked at his sister who met his eyes; within her eyes was a look of guilt, as if she thought she had done something. He felt the same way....what if he had somehow been responsible for Mr. Weasley's attack? What if they both had?
"Used properly, the power of Occlumency... will help shield you from access or influence." continued Snape, "In these lessons, I will attempt to penetrate your mind. You will attempt to resist."
Snape poised his wand at Harry, who gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white.
"Prepare yourself. Legilimens." a small glow protruded from Snape's wand and Harry seemed to have been thrown into a fit as he fought against it, "Concentrate, Potter! Focus."
All the while, Lily had edged away to the corner of the room, watching her brother go through it all. She sunk down and watch with bitter guilt; she had caused all of this. If she had just been stronger...she had managed to keep Harry from all of this over the course of the summer. If only Lily had not egged Voldemort on...Mr. Weasley might not be gravely injured and her brother would not be suffering.
They wouldn't all be scared.
But as she watched on as her brother fought against Snape's Legilmens spell, her guilt washed away into nothingness and was replaced by anger, by rage. Voldemort would pay for what he had done. He would pay and if it meant at the cost of Lily's life...
Then so be it.
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Christmas with the Weasleys' had undoubtedly been marked and the best Christmas Harry and Lily Potter had ever had. They had returned to Grimmauld Place for the holiday break in order to celebrate with the Weasleys, Hermione, August and Sirius. They had all sat down to feast at the table on Christmas Day when they all began exchanging gifts.
"Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!" greeted Mr. Weasley as they entered the dining room.
It was a happy surprise to see Mr. Weasley back from St. Mungos, where he was hospitalized after the attack. Everyone hugged him and expressed their happiness at seeing him. It was then that everyone began exchanging gifts.
"Here we go. Daddy's back. Sit down, everybody, sit down. That's it." said Mrs. Weasley, "Now, presents. And a nice big box for Ron. Big box for you. And... Fred and George. Come on, open up. I want to see your faces."
As the boys began opening their gifts, Harry and Lily handed their gifts out to each other Weasleys. They had decided to share the gifts this year and got Mrs. Weasley a new smock, Mr. Weasley received a Muggle telephone, the twins got new Weasley product labels, Ron got a hell of a lot of sweets and Ginny received some new clothes. After shedding a few tears, Mrs. Weasley handed them present of their own and of course, they were sweaters with their initials. Harry's was a dark green which brought out his eyes and Lily's was a light blue, her favorite color.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." thanked Harry.
"I love it." Lily smiled.
"Thanks, Mum. It's perfect." Ginny smiled, urging her sweater on. They all did. Mrs. Weasley had even made one for August.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." he smiled sheepishly, pulling it over his head, "It's great."
"Thanks, Mum. I love it." George grinned as he fitted on his new sweater.
"Just what he wanted, actually." Mrs. Weasley smiled pridefully.
Harry and Lily nudged August, who stood in between them as if he had always belonged. They smiled at him and said in unison, "Merry Christmas, August."
"Merry Christmas." he smiled, "I'm glad I get to spend it with you guys."
After Fred planted a kiss on Lily's cheek, the twins bent down and whispered in her ear while the chaos of opening gifts was still going on.
"We have another Christmas gift for you." said George.
"Well, actually, its for all three of us." said Fred.
They all looked up as Mr. Weasley tapped a spoon against his glass. The man had a blackened eye and a few cuts on his face, but despite it, he smiled.
"A Christmas toast." He held up his glass, "To Harry and Lily Potter.... without whom I would not be here."
"Harry and Lily."
"Harry and Lily."
"To Harry and Lily." Sirius spoke up behind them, raising his glass as he looked pridefully down on his godchildren and his song among them. And so they feasted on, enjoying Christmas as one big happy family. Everyone allowed their troubles to just....fade away....at least, until the end of the holidays. They deserved a happy holiday with the ones that they loved.
But the best part of the holidays came later that very day.
Lily hated Apparition.
She had done it twice on her own before, when her compromise with the Ministry of Magic was still in effect over the summer. She hated it then and she hated it now, but it was even worse when she wasn't the one doing to magic.
Right after dinner, possibly the worse time to do it, the Weasley Three slipped away into an unoccupied room and demanded that she take their arms. Lily what they were going to do, but even preparing for if did not help; she felt like her insides were being scooped out. Her ears whistled with the wind of the movement and before she realized it, they were outside as the cold air kissed her warm skin and her boots touched fluffy white snow.
She was still clutching their arms; her eyes shut.
"You can open your eyes." chuckled Fred.
"And allow my arm some blood flow, if you please." George laughed. Lily opened her eyes and let go of their arms. She took in their surroundings at once: rows of small shops lined the snowy roads, spanning far past her sight. There was Ollivanders Wand Shop, Flourish and Blotts, and in the near distance, Gringotts Wizard Bank.
They were in Diagon Alley.
"What are we doing in Diagon Alley?" questioned Lily.
"Turn around." said their voices in unison behind her.
Lily Potter slowly turned around and her knees almost buckled beneath her at the magnificent sight before her. The Weasley twins stood in front of a vacant corner shop that stood two stories tall with a dark-brown wood finishing. Above the doors was a makeshift sign that read:
Lily shrieked exuberantly, "NO WAY! NO WAY! IS THIS?!--"
"Our new joke shop?" asked Fred, "Why, yes it is!"
"Do ya' hear that?!" George shouted down the empty road, "IT'S OUR NEW JOKE SHOP!"
Lily could not believe it. Their hobby and pastime, pranking and making people laugh was no longer just that: it was now going to be their careers, their ways of life. Lily could just hear their names being repeated fondly through the corridors of Hogwarts in just a few short years.
"Would you like to take a look inside?" asked Fred, opening the door. It had a bell and everything.
"Hell yes!" Lily entered the unfurnished shop, with Fred and George on her tail.
Just like the outside, everything within the shop had dark-wood finishes and a light-wooden planked flooring. The second floor could be see from the first as a long wooden staircase traveled up in a right angled curve. It was so spacious and grand, it was perfect.
"Just for the three of us." smiled George.
"This is it. This is real." grinned Fred. Oh, how angry Mrs. Weasley will be. In due time, she would too understand their love for it. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was official and soon enough, their names would be plastered in the window as co-owners of a potentially successful business: Lily Potter, Fred and George Weasley.
Their dream had finally come true.